Ambient Information For All - An inclusive zoo experience
An accessible experience at a zoo - can it work? Especially when it's not just about the paths, but also about the experience itself, the information for visitors and the opportunity to record it? The "Ambient Information For All" project, in which Tierpark Bochum gGmbH, netzfactor GmbH and Hoba Steel GmbH have developed a barrier-free and innovative experience and information system, shows that this is possible. Modern technologies such as 360° videos or augmented reality (AR/VR) open up completely new perspectives on the animal world for visitors today - and these need to be tailored to the individual requirements of different visitor groups with their possible limitations.
New technologies for the zoo
In this project funded by the ERDF NRW program, the partners are focusing on combining a smartphone app with real learning and experience stations, which together enable all visitors to enjoy an inclusive zoo experience. The information is provided through the use of different technologies and concepts, such as Bluetooth beacons, AR, VR, 360° videos, audio and gamification. In the design of this human-technology interaction, emphasis is placed on creating a particularly positive and fun user experience.
Discovering together with aids
For example, induction loops for people with hearing impairments were installed as part of the learning and experience stations on the zoo grounds. As a special aid for blind and visually impaired people, the app offers a virtual, tactile map of the surrounding area. This makes it easier to find your way around the zoo, if necessary in combination with a real guidance system for the blind. Three-dimensional animal models promote a haptic experience. In addition, the entire area is designed to be barrier-free, allowing visitors with limited mobility to discover it together.
Learning system
In this way, the project has set standards in the context of education for sustainable development and for equitable knowledge transfer without inequalities. Thanks to funding from the NRW ERDF program, a unique service has been created in the German zoo landscape that provides people with exactly the information that is relevant and interesting to them in a suitable form based on their personal characteristics and depending on the context (for example, the exact location). The system learns the user's behaviour, evaluates it and provides an optimized experience based on the individual findings, which is constantly being further developed.
